Rising From The Ashes
by Nymeria31
Summary: "Do humans ever get tired of violence? Yuuri asked himself for the thousand time, he wouldn't know, he lost count several hundred years ago. What he did know was that he never came up with an answer, instead, he found a new question Why do I keep coming back if I know what is going to happen?"


YOI Fantasy Week, day 1, Prompts; Phoenix, anger, apple, red.

For this Phoenix, I took characteristics from the Greek (Rebirth) Chinese and Japanese mythology. In this fic, he would be referred to as the ほうおう, which is his Japanese name. For appearance, I went with the Fenghuang, which is Chinese because I think it is really beautiful. There's a picture here ほうおう

Also, in this fic, I use the word filibuster, for those who don't know, a filibuster is when a person, usually a member of Congress of the parliament, talks or debates to keep them from casting a vote on a proposal.

Anyway, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy it and I apologize in advance if there is a mistake (English not my first language)

* * *

Yuuri had died, again. He should have gotten used to it by now, but it hurt just as the first time. He didn't know why people insisted on ending his life, he would just come back and they would do it again, and again. _Do humans ever get tired of violence?_ Yuuri asked himself for the thousand time, he wouldn't know, he lost count several hundred years ago. What he did know was that he never came up with an answer, instead, he found a new question _Why do I keep coming back if I know what is going to happen?_ For that, he had an answer; it was its job and a small part of him, a part that kept getting smaller the longer this happened, still loved the humans. It didn't matter how much they hurt him, he kept coming back because that what he was meant to do. Yuuri was a bringer of hope, his appearance marked the beginning of a new, peaceful and prosperous era. Without him, the humans were done for. His hiding would mean that awful times lie ahead. Yet, in this new era, they didn't care about that anymore. The fact that one of his feathers could sell up to millions in the black market was reason enough for them to try to destroy him instead of rejoicing for the new era that was about to begin.

They waited for him when something good happened and not to give him offerings like they used to, now it was all about stealing his feathers. However, they always made the same mistake, they killed him. So, he turned into ashes and the humans got nothing in return except misery, and somehow they still blamed Yuuri for that. They left him alone for a while, until somebody decided that his ashes had magical properties (which they didn't) and it was fascinating and horrifying for Yuuri to discover how creative and cruel humans could be when it came to destroying a living, sacred thing that had brought luck to this land for thousands of years. Humans were a rare breed indeed.

Yuuri loved them, but he still kept wondering how could he love something that harmed him. The answer, he was like a father, no matter what your children do, you still love them. Though it was getting harder every year, not all humans let themselves be driven by their greed and hatred. He had met some of the most honest and kindest people in this world. There were not enough of those, but the ones that existed were enough to keep Yuuri going. Because if tolerating this world full of demons for the sake of those few was what Yuuri had to do then he would do it without hesitation. At least, that was what he told himself to keep him motivated.

* * *

Yuuri was lost, he was sure that he had seen that tree before. He must have gone in circles again, although after hours of pursuit everything looked the same to him, bleak. This group of humans was vicious, they were planning on capturing him once and for all. However, that didn't mean that they couldn't have fun chasing after Yuuri for a little bit. They have wounded him badly, but not enough to be mortal, just enough to make it impossible for him to fly or run away.

Yuuri had been running for three hours maybe. He didn't know, he had lost track of time. It didn't help that he had never been inside this seemingly endless forest and there was no place for him to hide. He couldn't fly, so hiding on top of the tress was out of the question. He was bleeding profusely as well. If by some miracle he managed to climb a tree, they would find the red tracks anyway. Transforming here was not an option either, he didn't want the humans to find out who he was and where he lived when he was not the ほうおう.

Yuuri had lost his pursuers a while back, but he knew that it was a matter of time before they came for him again. However, he could not continue like this much longer. He decided to take a little rest and sat against a tree to catch his breath, he was not used to running as a bird. The humans were taking their time coming. They wanted him to think that he was free now, they wanted Yuuri to gain a false sense of relief before going at it again. He needed to find a way to escape. He could find a way to terminate his life. They would only find his ashes since his body appeared back at his house. One of the precautions he took when this whole thing started. It was probably his only choice, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. It didn't matter what the humans liked to tell themselves to make them feel less guilty about hurting him, he felt pain. Since he came back to life, they assumed that he didn't feel anything, but he did, so much. The last millennial had been one of suffering for Yuuri, and the years ahead didn't look like he would get any respite from it. The only choices he got left was to hide and hope that they get tired of looking, which was highly unlikely, or get to the river and try to lose them there. If worst came to worse, he would do it, he didn't want to, but between that and getting captured, he would take his own life even if it pained him.

Yuuri heard them approaching. He had been sitting for too long. It was not as if it was hard to follow him with the streak of blood he left behind. He needed to get to the river and cross it. He might lose them there, might being the keyword. He started walking towards it, though wobbling would be the more appropriate term for what he was doing. He was losing his strength, the only thing that kept him moving was the belief that he might lose them once he go there, just a few more meters and he would be safe.

Yuuri finally saw it, the river was right in front of him. He allowed himself to let out a chirp of excitement. He took the next step with his bad leg and that made him tumble down the river bed. He couldn't stand up after that, the little strength he had left him, he couldn't move anymore, he had reached his limit. The tears finally came, he had successfully held them back before when the chase started, but he let go of them now. His escape was so close and he couldn't move anymore. Yuuri's last choice was to transform and end his own life right there and then. The tears came harder now, he didn't want to. It wasn't fair, why couldn't they understand that he was there to help them? He didn't deserve to be treated like this. A shadow fell over him, _they found me_ , Yuuri thought. He didn't have time to change and he was not going to do it now in front of them. Yuuri raised his eyes to catch a glimpse of the person in front of him, but he only saw a tall shadow before losing conscience. His last thought was to hope that they wouldn't be too cruel, but seeing what this group of human was capable of, he knew that the rest of his life would be miserable.

* * *

Yuuri woke up slowly as if getting out of a coma. He looked around, thinking that he was in his room, but he didn't recognize anything. This was not his bed, that was not his nightstand and his walls were not white. _Why am I still a bird?_ He should have changed as soon as he got back, he never stayed as the ほうおうin his home, it was too dangerous. Then, everything came back to him in a rush, the pursuers, the forest, the blood. Yuuri looked down and noticed that he was not bleeding anymore, someone had cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Could it be that his captors were gentle? This was actually a nice room, there were no bars around him; the window was even half opened. The sunlight was pouring into making this place look extremely cozy. Was this just another game to make him feel secure and attack him later? It seemed like the kind of thing those people would do. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost noon, _but of what day?_

Yuuri flapped his wings tentatively and felt a sharp pain go through his whole body. No chance to fly out of that conveniently opened window. He didn't want to try changing forms, at least not without knowing exactly where he was and if he could escape without receiving any more damage. Yuuri checked his surroundings to see if there was something he could use. There was a chair in the corner, he could drag it to the window, jump, _and then what?_ He could neither fly nor run since one of his legs was injured. He would have to hop and that wouldn't take him very far. However, it could take him far enough that he could change without being noticed. That wasn't exactly a plan, but it was the only one he got.

He got off the bed, trying to keep the weight off his injured leg, but he wobbled and hit the nightstand with his good wing hoping to maintain some balance, instead, everything that was on it fell the floor with a loud thump. _Shit, shit, shit._ He heard footsteps approaching and he was going crazy, he had no way of defending himself. He could slash at them, but they had numbers and weapons, and he was just a giant firebird that didn't even breath fire. He was a symbol of peace, not war, but at this moment he wished he knew a bit of war as well.

The door opened and a huge beast came trotting up to him. Yuuri was screeching, they sent a beast after him. He started flopping around the room trying to escape the animal, however, the only thing he accomplished was to open his wounds and making everything more painful for himself.

"Shit, Makka, stop. Leave him alone." Somebody came running and pushed the beast out of the room. The door closed and Yuuri was huddle in a corner, trembling, with his head hidden under his wing, not knowing what this person would do to him.

"I'm so sorry. Makka is a good dog, I promise. She just gets excited when she meets new people. Come one, let me help you."

The person approached and Yuuri slashed at him with his good leg. The person took a step back; Yuuri had hurt his arm. He was not going to trust the stranger's kind words. In his experience, humans were all liars, after this, he was definitely done with them. _Good luck with a lifetime of misery, human race._

"I promise I won't hurt you, but you need to let me check on your wounds. You are bleeding again. Look at me, talking as if you can understand me." The man kept his distance this time. He spoke to Yuuri in a soft, even tone trying to soothe him, but he couldn't bring himself to trust one of them.

"Can you understand me? You probably can't but I swear I won't hurt you. I want to help you get better so you can go back to whatever is it you come from and be safe. I know there is no reason for you to trust me, my people haven't been kind to you, but I promise that all I want is to help you." The man sat down in front of Yuuri, who still hadn't raised his head to look at him. The stranger was being too kind, this was a trap of some sort, humans were cunning when it came to hurting others.

"Would you allow me to stop the bleeding? Please."

Yuuri raised his eyes tentatively to sneak a peek at the stranger who claimed that all he wanted was to help. A little screech let his beak when he saw the human, Yuuri recognized this person. The man in front of him was Victor Nikiforov. Yuuri saw him on TV all the time, Victor was a re-known lawyer and activist. He fought to protect the rights of magical creatures that were about to be extinct.

The man smiled warmly at Yuuri as if knowing what had just gone through Yuuri's head. "You do understand me. This is fascinating. I have read everything about you and in none of those papers, there was anything about you being able to understand human speech. You are amazing and I've always wanted to see you up close." Victor stopped talking and there was a faint blush on his cheeks. "Lord, look at me rambling when I'm supposed to be helping you. I apologized. I should be stopping that bleeding. Only if you allow me of course. However, I should point out that if you let it like that you are going to pass out, which would make this whole issue easier for me."

Yuuri looked around him and saw how much blood he had spilled around the room in his haste to escape the horrible beast that turned out to be a dog. He liked dogs. He had been running away from a dog when he should have been running towards it. This man in front of him was the owner of the dog and probably the only person he would be able to trust, but he was hesitant about it. Waging his options he realized he had to trust him or at least let Victor think that and then escape. That was a solid plan. Yuuri looked Victor in the eyes and found no malice in them. Victor genuinely wanted to help him. Yuuri slowly nodded. Victor gave him a smile that lit up his entire face and with that Yuuri knew that he had made the right decision. Evil people didn't smile like that.

"Thank you for trusting me," he bowed to Yuuri as a sign of respect. "First, I'm going to get some bandages. It won't take long. Can you wait a minute?"

Yuuri nodded and Victor smiled again.

"You understand me, this is so amazing," he was beaming, Yuuri didn't think that it was physically possible for someone's smile to look like the sun itself. "Wait right here. I'll be back in less than a minute." He stood up and ran out of the room holding his injured hand, but Victor didn't seem to mind. He was beaming because he found Yuuri's trust precious and his wound didn't matter.

The man poked his head back in "Name is Victor by the way." and left just as quick.

Yuuri passed out after that. When he woke up again it was dark outside. The window was closed this time, but the curtains were drawn so the moon illuminated the room with its pale light. He looked at himself and noticed that he had new bandages. Also, Victor must have given him something because he didn't feel that much pain anymore. There were a bunch of sheets and pillows arranged around him. Victor had tried to make him feel as comfortable as possible by making a nest. The beast from before was lying on his bed. _Dog, not beast, dog,_ he reminded himself. Now that he was calmed he could appreciate how cute this dog was. It was a poodle, his favorite type of dog. He looked around the room and noticed that the mess of feathers and blood he made before had been cleaned up and the room was as immaculate as it had been before. There was a chair next to the bed and there, Victor was sleeping peacefully.

Victor was wearing a long-sleeved, white and blue striped shirt and white pants. The moonlight made him look ethereal, but it was probably just the silver hair, which was an unusual color on its own. _Uhm, he drools when he sleeps._ Yuuri saw a little bit of saliva right next to Victor's mouth. It was kind of adorable, and it was always reassuring to find out that unfairly attractive people were not perfect all the time.

From what he could remember of Victor, nobody took him seriously at first because of his physical appearance. People thought he was too attractive to be smart and too rich to be an actual activist and that it was all just a hobby for him. However, Victor had proved them wrong time and time again. He had used his own money to finance several charities whose goal was the protection of mythical creatures. Last year, he had been involved in stopping a law that would make mermaid hunting legal. Yuuri had followed the case closely because he had several mermaid friends who were afraid of what might become of them and their families. If the law passed, there would be no escaping, mermaids would be hunt down, capture, and only God knew what else just for human enjoyment. The day of the voting, Victor had stood there for almost seven hours, filibustering to keep them from voting until the time was up. During those seven hours, he didn't eat, rest, or use the restroom at all. He even made sure that the bill would be dropped after that. People tended to forget that Victor was a lawyer, as such the man was ruthless when it came to defending those who couldn't defend themselves and just now, he singlehandedly saved Yuuri from that mob. The man was a hero, but Yuuri decided that even though the man had saved his life, he was not willing to share the secret of his other life with him. Yuuri would remain on this form until he could leave on his own. He healed fast, in two days he would be fine to go back to the safety of his home and this time, he'd be a smart bird and never leave it again.

Yuuri looked at the dog, _Makka,_ he believed he heard Victor said. The dog was sleeping with its belly up, it was so cute. With his good set of winds, Yuuri tried to pet the dog lightly, instead, he woke it up and the dog started barking. Yuuri was flapping his wing desperately to get the dog to quiet down so they wouldn't wake Victor, instead, the dog thought Yuuri was playing and it started barking louder and jumping up and down, dropping some of Yuuri's pillows on the floor. He covered his head with his wing, _why can't I do anything right?_

"Makka, calm down. You woke up our guest."

Yuuri was flapping his wings and shaking his head, trying to explain that the dog was not at fault, that it was his fault for waking it up, but it was difficult to explain the situation without words and he was making the room messy again with his loose feathers. Victor got the dog off the bed and then back to sitting.

"I'm sorry. She likes to meet new people." This was probably the first time in centuries that someone referred to Yuuri with some amount of respect. "I can get her out if she is too much."

Yuuri shook his head. He didn't want the dog to lose its comfort just because he was an idiot.

"You don't want her out?"

Yuuri shook his head again. He liked dogs, he used to have one a few decades ago, but he had died and Yuuri was left alone again. Since he was going to outlive them anyway, he decided not to have any more pets. It was too painful when they died.

"Okay, I'll let her here, but not on your bed, you still need your rest, is that fine with you?"

Yuuri nodded and Victor smiled, kept Makka on his feet and by the look of it he was planning to go back to sleep on that chair. That couldn't be comfortable. _Am I taking over his bed?_ He wouldn't allow this. Yuuri chirped to get Victor's attention, then with his beak, he pointed at Victor's chest, then at the bed, hoping that he would be able to convey an intelligible message.

"I'm sorry, I can't understand. Could you repeat that?"

Yuuri made the same gestures again. It would have been easier to change forms and use actual words, but one of the reasons he had survived this long without living in a cage was because he knew how to keep a secret. This only happened once every few years and then he went back to live a relatively normal life. Hence, why he was gesturing like crazy to get Victor to understand his question.

"Do you want me to sleep with you?"

Yuuri shook his head wildly, was it possible for birds to blush? He certainly did not want Victor to sleep with him, he was warm enough in his nest of blankets, he did not need any help, thank you very much. He gestured one more time, hoping that third time would be the charm. Victor tilted his head to the side, "are you asking if this is my bed?" Yuuri nodded. He finally understood and no words had been necessary for the whole exchange. High five to himself.

"This is the spare bedroom. You are not keeping me from anything if that is what you are thinking. I wanted to keep an eye on you during the night. Are you comfortable? Do you need any more pillows or blankets?" Yuuri shook his head. He was more than comfortable, which is why he wanted Victor to be comfortable as well and go to his own bed. He pointed at the bed, then at the door. This time, Victor got the message faster.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Believe or not, this chair is extremely cozy and I don't mind being here." He fixed the sheets around Yuuri's large body to make it look more rounded and started petting the dog to get her to go back to sleep. "Are you hungry? You were unconscious for two days. You should eat something."

 _Two days,_ Yuuri groaned internally. How was he going to explain this absence in his job? It was not as if he could say _I'm this giant bird and I got hurt while on my side job, but you know how these things are, right?_ His boss would indeed understand, they would high five and that would be it. It was sad to admit, but not having human friends was an advantage right now, he didn't have to worry about checking in with anyone. Well, Phichit might be looking for him, but it would be highly unlikely since his domain was always in danger, so he tended to be busier than Yuuri and humans were after him as well, being a Unicorn was not as magical as humans wanted to believe. Yuuri needed to heal faster and in order to do that, he needed to get stronger. He nodded at Victor to accept his food offer. The man immediately stood from the chair.

"Wait here, I'll get you something." Victor left the room, just as quickly he popped his head back inside. "What do you like?"

Yuuri shrugged or the bird version of it anyway.

"How about some fruit? Do you like fruit?" Yuuri nodded and Victor gave him that smile of him that looked sort of like a heart. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he left, Makka put her head on the bed. Yuuri petted her with his wing and put his beak against her fur. This was probably the softest and fluffiest dog Yuuri had ever had the honor to pet. She also smelled really good. Victor took good care of her and she was certainly a good doggy. Despite the fact that Yuuri had run away from her when they met, here she was giving him comfort. He kept rubbing his beak against her fur, she seemed to like it and it calmed him greatly. He missed having a dog, Yuuri could enjoy having this dog precious company before going back to his lonely existence.

Yuuri raised his head when he felt Makka fall asleep and saw Victor in the doorway holding a tray and with the brightest smile Yuuri had ever seen, he wanted to cover his eyes with his wings. It was blinding. How long had Victor been there?

"She likes you," he entered the room and placed the tray in front of Yuuri and sat back in his chair. There was an assortment of fruits, vegetables and some fancy cheese on the side. There was also a little bowl of water. Yuuri drank that first, he hadn't realized how thirsty he was until he saw it. "I'm sorry for what happened before, she wanted to say hi and she forgets how strong she is." Victor stroked her head waking her up and she looked up at him adoringly. Yuuri got it, he just met the man and he was already looking at him like that. Unfair.

"I got you some grapes, strawberries, apples, pears, bananas. I wasn't sure what you like so I brought everything." Yuuri nodded and started picking on the apple. Victor didn't look as if he was going to eat, probably respecting Yuuri, so he pushed a slice towards him to let him now it was okay to eat. Victor smiled and picked it up. They ate in silence, though it was not as if Yuuri could talk anyway. He noticed Victor's arm was bandaged and felt a pang of guilt for hurting him. He pointed at the wound in apology.

Victor looked down and waved Yuuri's concerns away. "Don't worry about it, it's fine. After what happened, I can understand why you lashed out. I hope that now you know that I mean you no harm. Everything is cool, okay?"

Yuuri nodded and Victor took that as a cue to begin talking.

"I still can't believe that you are able to understand me. You are incredibly smart. I don't know why people choose to hurt you. I'm sorry for what we've done to you. Nobody deserves to be treated like that."

Yuuri couldn't answer that, he stopped trying to understand humans motives several decades ago. Besides, Victor had nothing to apologize for. On the contrary, Yuuri wanted to thank him for everything he'd done to protect him. Risking his own life in the process, because Yuuri had no doubt that if those people would have seen Victor trying to rescue him, they would not have hesitated to harm him. He was making some gestures, some crazy chirping and adding some wing flapping for a wholesome thank you effect.

"I'm not sure I get the whole picture of what you are saying but is it "your welcome" the correct response?"

Yuuri chirped in delight and they kept eating. Victor finished the food that Yuuri didn't want and took the tray away. When he came back Yuuri was nodding off and Victor sat in the chair to resume his guardian position, but Yuuri screech and flapped his wings so hard that he blew some pillows away from his nest.

"I take it you don't want me to sleep on the chair again."

Yuuri shook his head.

"Okay, can I leave Makkachin here to keep you company? It would give me rest to know that you are not alone in case something happens. Also, keep in mind that if you say no, I would definitely stay here."

Yuuri nodded and Victor smiled. "That's set, then. See you tomorrow and if there is anything else you need, my room is right next to this one." He patted Makkachin and left the door ajar on his way out.

After Victor left, Makka climbed on the bed with him to make sure that Yuuri was not going anywhere, she put her head right next to Yuuri's "nest" and went to sleep right away. Yes, two more days and he would be out of here leaving Victor and Makka to go back to their regular lives without a giant bird almost bleeding to death. Two more days.

* * *

It has been two weeks since the attack on Yuuri and he was still at Victor's house. It only took one day for him to heal properly under Victor's care. He was good to go, he knew it, Victor knew it, Makkachin knew it, but nobody wanted to change things. It was understandable, changes were difficult. He had never stayed as the ほうおう for this long. At least not since he started living as a regular human. Yuuri wondered if it might going to make it more difficult to turn back once he tried to do it. Because he was going to turn back at some point, but not yet. Especially not right now that he was too busy playing with Makka to think about anything else.

Victor was out getting groceries and Yuuri and Makka were chasing a ball. They were both running around the house, Yuuri flying whenever he could, chasing the toy and having the time of his life. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this free and happy. These two weeks had been nothing short of amazing. At first, he hadn't left because it was dangerous. Since they never found his ashes, they assumed that Yuuri must still be alive, so they were still looking for him. After that, there was no excuse, he just stayed and Victor didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, he adjusted his whole house to make it more comfortable and easier for Yuuri to navigate.

They had dinner together, they watched TV, they played games, Victor sometimes read books to him. They talked, well, Victor talked, Yuuri gestured. Victor was an extremely communicative person. He told Yuuri about his childhood, his friends, his job, his future projects. Best of all, he took care Of Yuuri's plumage. He had never let anyone else take care of them, except for Phichit sometimes, he was very shy about someone else touching him and also, he had to be very careful to always burn the loose feathers after he was done. The last thing he wanted was someone finding them and knowing his secret. Victor had been polite and asked for Yuuri's permission first. He agreed because he figured that someone as rich as Victor wouldn't need to sell his feathers on the black market, besides the man had touched them before when he bandaged his wounds. Also, the smile he was giving Yuuri didn't hurt.

"In Russia," Victor started talking when he noticed Yuuri getting a little apprehensive about the whole grooming process. "We also have a legend about a firebird. He is not real of course, I checked. In our stories, it is described to be red and orange with golden eyes. I've seen some depictions of it in some fairy tale books. I think that you are much more beautiful with your rainbow color feathers and your brown eyes. You are a sight to behold when you are flying, the way the sunlight reflects the colors in your wings is so mesmerizing." He touched each one of the different colors in Yuuri's wings: red, green, yellow, white, and black. "I've read a lot about you as well. I read that your head symbolizes the sky, your eyes the sun, your back the moon, the wings are the wind, feet the earth and your tail the planets. Is that true?"

Yuuri nodded, he was all that and more. Not that people care about it anymore.

"Your tail has a lot of feathers. How many planets are there exactly?"

Yuuri shrugged and chirped in delight when Victor removed a feather that had been bothering him for a while now and he hadn't been able to reach it. Victor laughed as well and kept on grooming him.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" Yuuri wasn't sure how to gesture that, pointing at his crotch would have been unclear and also incredibly rude. He didn't want Victor's head down there. He nodded his head once.

"One nod, is that yes for boy?" Yuuri nodded. It was remarkable how easily Victor could understand him with just some nods and shakes. He ruffled his wings, feeling more comfortable already. Victor finished and sat cross-legged in front of him. "Are you the only one of your kind?"

Yuuri lowered his head. Being the only one was not easy, but the fact that he was for all intents and purposes immortal and he would outlive everyone only made things harder. That was why he kept interactions to a minimum or avoided them altogether. After a while, people just started wondering why he never got old and then turned him into a pariah. It had happened before.

"Hey, you know I'm your friend now, right?" Makka who had been playing with some of Yuuri's feathers came and sat next to him as if sensing that she was needed. "We are your friends. You can come back whenever you like. We'll be here." Would he still be so kind if he knew that Yuuri had not been completely truthful with him?

He had been so distracted thinking about whether or not to tell Victor the truth that he smacked against a lamp in the living room and it broke. Even Makka stopped running around and both of them stood there looking at the damage. Would Victor be mad? _Of course, he would be mad, he invited you into his home and you are making it messy._ Maybe he should leave right now, he had been in this house for too long, this was a sign. He was thinking about changing real quick and clean everything up when the front door opened and Victor came running into the living room, dropping the grocery bags on his way. He stopped, looked at the mess on the floor, then at Yuuri and Makkachin.

"We'll deal with this later. You have to hide. Some of them have not given up on you and they are searching the houses that are near the river." Yuuri started shaking and back up against the wall. He knew it, this was not going to last longer, it was unrealistic. He should have left as soon as he was able to fly. Now, he was putting Victor and Makkachin in danger. Victor noticing his distress crouched in front of him and stroked Yuuri on the head. "Don't worry. I'm sure I can keep them off my house. I'm a lawyer after all, but just in case go hide in my room and do not come out until you hear my voice calling you, okay?

Yuuri nodded, he went running upstairs to Victor's room and hid in his bathroom, locking the door behind him as he went in. He had thought about escaping to the window, but it was too narrow, there was no way his body could fit through there. Besides, these humans would probably have people on the lookout to strike him down in case he appeared, that's how they wounded him in the first place. What was he good for anyway? The only thing he knew how to do was hide. He sat in Victor's tub and pulled the curtains, praying that they wouldn't get inside the house.

He could hear movement downstairs. That was probably Victor picking up the mess downstairs and the groceries from the floor. There was a knocked on the door and Yuuri wrapped his wings around himself protectively. He couldn't hear much from up there, but there was some yelling. _This is my house, I forbid you to enter. Do you have a warrant? No, and you know why? because you are not officers of the law. Leave my house or I will sue you and you can bet your ass that I will win._ Victor as a lawyer was terrifying, he had won cases against big corporations. These people were nothing to him.

He heard some more yelling and Makkachin barking, next thing he knew there were heavy footsteps in the house. They had gotten in. They must have recognized Victor and knew what he did. If somebody would protect a mythical creature it would be him. Victor threatened them with calling the police and Yuuri heard a crunch. They must have broken the phone. These people meant business. Any minute now, they would be in Victor's room and they would take him away to whatever cage they had prepared for him.

There were footsteps coming upstairs, Yuuri could hear Victor still arguing with the men to no avail. These people didn't understand words and Yuuri had no way to defend himself, but he would not let them hurt Victor, not after everything he'd done for him. Before he could back out, Yuuri changed to his human form. He checked that there were no feathers around and turned on the water right before they barreled through the bathroom door.

He let out a scream of surprise, not because the men had torn the door down, but because he didn't check which way he turned the tap and the water falling on him was scalding. Yuuri jumped out of the tub covering himself with the shower curtain to find several men at the door. Without his glasses, he couldn't make out their features, but one of them had silver hair, Victor was there.

"Hello?" Yuuri said and then cleared his throat because his voice sounded more like a squeak than an actual human voice.

"Never mind." One of them said and they went to the next room, but Victor stayed put and Yuuri didn't even try to turn off the water, he didn't need to see clearly to know that Victor was mad and that the first one to pay would be him. It wasn't until they heard the people leave and the door shut that Victor moved. He started looking frantically in his room for the bird. When he didn't find him he went back to the bathroom and stood menacingly in front of Yuuri.

"What did you do to him?"

Yuri had hoped that by some mysterious, fairytale magic Victor would be able to recognize him, but why would he? There was a stranger who looked as if he was about to have a shower in his house. Yuuri should be grateful that Victor hadn't punched him already. However, it was a bit painful the fact that Victor didn't know who he was.

"Victor, it's me."

"Me, who? I have never seen you in my life. How did you get into my house and what did you do to him?" He grabbed Yuuri by the arm, roughly. "I swear to God, if you hurt him I'll come after you with everything I've got."

Yuuri covered Victor's hand with his, gently. "Victor, it's me. Look into my eyes and see me." he pleaded.

Victor looked at him, really looked. After what felt like an eternity to Yuuri, but it couldn't have been more than a minute, Victor released his arm and took several steps back until he hit the wall. No one said anything, the only sound was the water still running. Victor looked at him from top to bottom and Yuuri tried to cover himself a bit more with the shower curtain.

"It's you."

"It's me."

"You are a person. I mean, you are a person," Victor was moving his arms at his sides up and down, mimicking wings. "You are a person, did you know that you were a person?"

"Yes, I did." Yuuri smiled, he couldn't help it. It was kind of funny, he couldn't properly see Victor's expression, it was all just a big blur, but he could picture him looking like a fish out of water.

"But, how? I mean, you were a bird and now you are a person. You went from bird to person. You turned from a bird to a really beautiful person."

Okay, Yuuri was blushing and he was naked, meaning, Victor could see the red spreading through his body. "I know that I have imposed my presence on you for the past two weeks, but could I ask you for one more favor?"

"Anything." Not one ounce of doubt in Victor's voice.

"Would you be so kind and lend me some clothes? It's getting cold in here."

"My apologies, where are my manners? Wait here." Victor moved side to side trying to find the door. It would have been easier to just turn around, but he couldn't take his eyes away from Yuuri. When he finally found the door, he went to the closet and came back with a pile of clothes, placed it in the sink and took one last look at Yuuri. "I'll be downstairs." He closed the door behind him and Yuuri let out a sigh of relief. At least Victor hadn't killed him on sight, that was good. Yuuri turned off the water and sat on the edge of the tub. He had to think about what he was going to tell Victor. How was he going to justify that he didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth? _What if he tells everyone my secret?_ Victor, of course, wouldn't, but that didn't stop Yuuri's imagination from going off the rails. _What if he hates me and doesn't want to be my friend anymore? What about Makkachin? Would she hate me too? Victor called me beautiful, maybe the man needed glasses._ Speaking of, _I need my glasses._ This was not gonna get him anywhere, he was going to change quickly and be done with it. He would go downstairs with his head held high and have a civil conversation with Victor. Everything would be just fine.

* * *

When he finally came downstairs, Victor was waiting for him in the living room. Makka came up to him and almost knocked him down. The dog still liked him, one question answered. He disentangled himself from Makkachin and fixed his sleeves again. Victor was taller than him, so the sleeves of the blue sweater he lent him went pass his hands and he had to roll them up. Same with the black sweatpants. He went to the living room and sat on the chair across from Victor so they could speak face to face, the coffee table being the only thing between them.

'I made tea, would you like some?"

"Yes, please."

Victor set a cup of tea in front of him. They drank in silence. Neither one of them knew how to start this conversation, but Yuuri figured he should be the one starting it, but how? _So, yeah, I'm a bird, but I'm also a person and I demand to be treated as such._ That was stupid and it didn't even make sense; Victor had treated him with nothing but respect and kindness. _Just go with your gut, everything will be fine._ He set the teacup down.

"Victor..."

"ほうおう..."

They stopped. Another awkward silence with Makka there looking at each of them in turn as if this was a tennis match.

"Do you have a different name? I don't think it would be practical to use ほうおう on a government-issued ID."

"Yuuri, I go by Yuuri."

"Yuuri, I'm going to start. To say that this is a surprise would be the understatement of the century. I have you right here in front of me and I still can't believe it. It is important that you know that you don't have to apologize to me." Yuuri opened his mouth to interrupt, but Victor raised his hand. "Please, allow me to finish. Like I said to you the first time, I understand if you don't trust me. I haven't caused you harm, but before that day I haven't exactly helped you either. Besides, I assume that not telling people is what has kept you free all this time. Also, I don't want to presume anything, but you changed today to save me, didn't you?"

"I couldn't let them hurt you after everything you've done for me." Yuuri lowered his head. "I still feel the need to apologize though. I took advantage of you. I should have left as soon as I healed. I put you in danger."

"Yuuri, you didn't take anything I wasn't willing to give. However, I have to ask. Why didn't you leave? They wouldn't have recognized you like this, you could have been safer."

"I like it here." That was a lame answer, but Yuuri was not going to go on the details of his solitary life.

"The offer still stands, you can come here whenever you like. Makkachin and I are still your friends. That's it if you want us."

Who wouldn't want them? Yuuri found himself sobbing in front of them. Victor came up to him and asked if it was okay to hug him. Yuuri nodded, Victor wrapped his arms around him and Makkachin laid her head on Yuuri's lap. They were both letting him know that it was okay, that they still liked him despite how he had lied to them. They were letting him know that they accepted him no matter what. Victor hugged him until Yuuri calmed down and then gave him more tea _because tea is always good._

Yuuri drank more tea and rubbed his eyes, now everything was more blurry, great. "I shouldn't have cried. I can't see anything now."

"Hey. It's better to cry you know, it's never good to keep things bottled up inside."

"No, I literally can't see that well. I need glasses and I don't have them with me."

Victor stared at Yuuri and let out a loud laugh. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't laugh, but you need glasses. You are a mythical creature and you need glasses." Yuuri had to laugh too. He had never been able to explain why as the ほうおう he had perfect eyesight, but his human form had needed glasses for as long as he could remember.

After laughing like idiots, the atmosphere didn't feel as charged and they could finally have an honest to God conversation. With Yuuri actually using words instead of gesturing, though he couldn't help doing it sometimes. Victor asked him many, many, many questions. It seemed as if the man had refrained from asking questions that couldn't have been answered with gestures and was throwing all of them at Yuuri now. He didn't ask him anything too personal, _what do you like to do for fun? Do you have a job? Of course, you have a job, You can't exactly collect_ ほうおう _pension checks. Do you really like Makka or were you just pretending? She will be so hurt._ After reassuring both Victor and Makkachin that he indeed like her, the barrage of questions continue, _did you go to school? What's your favorite book? Favorite food? Do you like pineapple on pizza? And this is a serious question, Yuuri. It could be a deal breaker._ And so on. Victor was an endless source of them. He only asked him one sort of personal question.

"If you don't want to answer this you don't have to, but why do you keep doing it? After the way we have treated you, why do you keep coming back? We certainly don't deserve you. If it were up to me I'd probably have let this place burn to the ground."

"Because it's my job and because people like you still exist. Kind people who deserve only the best. People who don't deserve to live in constant war. I am the sign that a peaceful future is ahead and it is something I like very much." He didn't add that without this, he wouldn't have a purpose. Who would Yuuri be if he stopped being theほうおう? "Also, I don't think you would have let this place burn. You have a big heart."

"Perhaps, but you are still the bravest person I've ever met. Thank you for trusting me. It couldn't have been easy for you."

Yuuri might be brave, but Victor was definitely the kindest person he had ever met and he had lived a long life.

"Is there something else I can do for you?"

"Actually, there is. You could give me a ride to the train station. I think I've abused enough of your hospitality."

"Oh," Victor sounded disappointed, which Yuuri found unlikely. The man had been living with a bird for two weeks. He probably needed some time for himself and to do some actual work. "I can do that, but it's late. Why don't you spend the night and I'll drive you first thing in the morning?"

Yuuri started shaking his head and was about to flapped his wings when he remembered that he was not a bird anymore. "No, no, no. I've taken enough advantage of you as it is. I couldn't." But Victor was right, they had been talking the whole afternoon through the night. He might be able to take the last train though.

"Please, I insist. Makkachin wants you to stay too, isn't that right, baby?" Makka barked and wagged her tail so hard that her whole body was shaking. Victor was not playing fair using the dog like that.

'Have you no shame?" Yuuri said smiling and patting the best dog in the world on the head.

"I might be an activist lawyer, but a lawyer nonetheless. So, you'll stay?"

Of course, he would, how could he say no to the dog and Victor's heart-shaped smile.

* * *

The next morning at the train station while wearing more of Victor's clothes. This time a green sweater with a poodle on the front, jeans, and a black coat _so you don't get cold Yuuri._ He had to take advantage of Victor's generosity again when he realized that he didn't have any money to pay for the ticket. He apologized profusely and told Victor that he would send him the money and the clothes as soon as he got home. Victor waved his apologies away, telling him that he could return the clothes once he came back for a visit or he could keep them. It was cool either way.

They found a bench and sat to wait for the train to come. Victor asked him if he would be fine finding his way back home without his glasses and Yuuri assured him that he would be fine. He lived near the train station and this wasn't the first time.

They heard the train approaching the station before they saw it. They stood up, Yuuri gave Makkachin a hug and shook Victor's hand.

"Thank you for everything. I am never going to be able to repay you for everything you did for me."

"You don't have to repay. Just visit Makkachin from time to time and let's call it even."

Yuuri nodded and went to board the train. Victor put his hand on his shoulder and turn him around.

"Yuuri, after getting to know each other better and all that. At some point in the future, would you allow me to take you out on a date?" Victor was shuffling his feet and wringing Makkachin's leash in his hands.

'Oh." Yuuri flushed all over. He hadn't been asked out in a while. A while being several decades and not just a few months. Also, he had never dated a human. Humans were out of the question, they were a hassle, and they tended to die. One of the side effects of being mortal.

"You don't have to feel obligated to say yes, of course. Also, I didn't say right now, it can be next month, in six months, in a year. Whatever you feel comfortable with. I don't mind waiting."

"Why?"

"You are kind, brave, smart, you like pineapple pizza, Makkachin likes you. Furthermore, I feel the need to point out that my shower curtain is see-through." Victor smirked and Yuuri hid his face in his hands, could this be any more embarrassing? "I spent practically the whole night wondering whether I had a thing for you or birds in general. I mean, you were a bird and I thought you were cute, but now you are a person and you are cute as well. Maybe I'm attracted to the bird in you."

"God, please, stop." He was going to die of embarrassment. He needed to leave right now. "Ops, my train is here, I have to go." He almost hit the floor face first on his haste to get to the train. Victor held him up and kept him from falling.

"Yuuri, what do you say?"

Yuuri thought it for a second, but hell, why not? Victor was a nice person and Yuuri was going to keep on living, what shouldn't he enjoy himself a little. He nodded and Victor whopped and raise his fist in the air. Yuuri left him there, got on the train and found a window seat so he could wave to Victor and Makka. He was clutching in his hand the paper that Victor had given him with his contact information on it. The fact that he was immortal and Victor wasn't kept dancing in his head and he pushed it far back. That was a problem for another day and another Yuuri. It was time for him to do as Phichit had told him numerous times. It was time for him to finally enjoy some of the eternal life he was given. He leaned his head against the window and smile. For the first time in centuries, he felt that everything would be all right.


End file.
